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Our lemon cucumbers began ripening at Skyridge Farm about 2 weeks ago and you might have seen them at our farmer’s markets. In my home garden, I have many and often take them to work for friends.
I grew up with lemon cucumbers and have always appreciated them. My dad made cucumber sandwiches for our family. He toasted the bread, spread on some mayonaisse, sliced the cucumbers with some tomatoes, and sprinkled on some salt and pepper. We loved it. So, if you’re finding yourself with more lemon cucumbers then you can handle, try making a few sandwiches during the week.
I just received a recipe this morning from Judy (aka: Mrs. Papa Hank). Papa Hank says, ” It’s fabulous.”
Zucchini Crisp:
8 cups sliced zucchini
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Topping:
1 and 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup softened butter
Directions: Cook zucchini with lemon juice until tender–about 15 min. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. Blend until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over zucchini. Bake for 50 minutes at 375%–serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.
219 calories, 8 gram. fat, 36 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams protein (6 points plus Weight Watchers)
Grandma Reindl braiding 24-carrier wire in GE cable plant, Oakland, CA.
When I was a little, my grandma always made zucchini bread. Our family couldn’t wait to get a slice. We’d let it cool enough to handle, slice it up, spreading a nice square of butter across the top to melt. Zucchini bread and my grandma’s name are synonymous.
Grandma passed away at the age of 92. She was born in 1906 and worked for a time as a wire braider. After she passed, relatives scrambled for the recipe–we couldn’t find it. The neighbor down the road thought she had it. I made a recipe of it, always questioning the addition of pineapple. The finished product was excessively moist and not her recipe. Eventually, her granddaughter, Nancy, tracked it down. Perhaps you’ll try your hand at baking Grandma Reindl’s Zucchini Bread.
This week we began taking our Armenian and lemon cucumbers to market. I have a great recipe clipped from Sunset Magazine in May of 2007. It’s described as having a spicy kick. I have yet to make it, but thought you might like to try your hand at it and share your results. Recipe makes 6 servings.
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste
- 1 English (seedless) cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 small mango, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped red radish
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Preparation
- In a small bowl, mix vinegar, garlic, and curry paste. Put cucumber, mango, radish, onion, basil, and mint in a medium bowl, then toss with vinegar mixture to coat. Garnish with black sesame seeds.
- Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
Roxanne Chan, Albany, CA, Sunset
MAY 2007
Another vegetable we have in our garden is Swiss Chard. It’s very popular with customers at our farmers markets. We allow it to grow quite long and leafy. When it bolts to seed, it’s best to pull it out and add it to the compost pile. We grow both the white and red stemmed varieties. Many people saute the chard in olive oil with onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Here’s a recipe from Sunset Magazine for a breakfast dish: Swiss Chard and Ricotta Salata Egg Bake
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/swiss-chard-ricotta-salata-egg-bake-10000001547082/
On our farm we grow several rows of kale. We plant Lacinato (a curly leafed variety) and dinosaur Kale. Kale is a relative of the cabbage family. It’s regarded as a super food; one of the most nutritious vegetables in the world. It’s high in antioxidants and can be steamed, stir-fried, sautéed or boiled. A popular why to prepare Kale is to coat it with olive oil, parmesan or Asiago cheese, salt and pepper, and then bake it in the oven. Here’s a link to a recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/.
Kale can be planted in late summer for a fall crop or planted in spring for an early summer crop. The leaves are picked from the outside of the plant.
This year we’ve been selling our rhubarb at many of the Farmer’s markets. We’re often asked why the rhubarb is primarily green. Well, there are many varieties of rhubarb: MacDonald, Cherry, Strawberry and Victoria. The first 3 varieties are red; Victoria is primarily green. In spite of planting a red variety, ours grows green. Some of our customers have shared similar experiences. Perhaps it’s the climate or soil.
Rhubarb can be harvested in its 3rd year and pulled for 4 to 8 weeks. Stalks should not be cut with a knife as this makes the end of the stem rot. Simply grasp the stalk down near its base and yank sideways.
Rhubarb has a “select” following. Those who already love it are familiar with its many uses. Those unfamiliar with it can be won over with an offering of recipes. I recently found a wonderful website called the Rhubarb Compendium: http:www.rhubarbinfo.com. It holds a wealth of recipes for jams, pies, cakes and cobblers. I’ve made Remarkable Rhubarb Bites several times with great success. Here’s the recipe. Hints: insert a toothpick minutes before baking ends and if it comes out clean, it’s done; score the Bites before they cool. Consider serving with ice cream. Happy baking!
Remarkable Rhubarb Bites
Ingredients:
2 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Confectioners’ sugarProcedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside. Cream shortening, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and then stir in baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour. Stir in vanilla, then rhubarb mixture.
Place batter in a greased and floured 13×9″ baking pan and bake for 40-45 min. Let cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 2″ squares.
